The prior art has diverse examples of nail and claw and tack hammers, all achieving distinct purposes. Nevertheless, none of the inventions present in the prior art disclose the invention subject of this application: a hammer that may magnetically retain or attract nail(s) of different size, length and width. In addition, many of the hammers in the prior art have the problem that a nail head may get caught with the head of the hammer during an up swing for striking or that the hammer head with a nail holding structure may get damaged during missed strikes to pointy objects or nails themselves, thus becoming dangerous.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,059 B1 (Martinez, 2002) describes a light-weight striking tool. The invention in the prior art includes a nail holder groove of magnetic qualities for holding a nail for easy setting. This invention differs from the side-load nail holding hammer because the nails that can be retained by the hammer in the prior art are limited in number, size and length, unlike the side-load nail holding hammer for various numbers of nails. In addition, the side-load nail holding hammer has nail slots of a half cone design. U.S. Pat. No. 6,339,974 B1 (Kotschner et al, 2002) pertains to a carpenter hammer with a hammerhead with a nail holder. U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,376 (Hurley, 2001) describes a hammer with replaceable nail striking head. U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,996 (Crawford, 2001) pertains to a nail-starting hammerhead. U.S. Design Pat. No. 438,082 (Stegner, 2001) concerns a hammer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,764 (Hanlon, 1999) is for a hammer with nail-holding structure. U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,115 (Palomera, 1984) is for a hammerhead. U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,433 (Siclder, 1980) is for a nail holding hammer. PCT published international patent application No. WO 01/12392 (August, 2001) discloses a lightweight striking tool. As in the previous examples, these prior art inventions can be applied only to nails of limited sizes, unlike the side-load nail holding hammer. In addition, in the particular case of U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,433, the nail head may get caught in the hammer claw at striking said tool, a disadvantage not shared by the side-load nail holding hammer. In addition, the side-load nail holding hammer has nail slots of a half-cone design, therefore having nail slots of a different shape.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,020 (Johnson, 1999) discloses a hammerhead used for magnetically holding nails of different sizes and lengths. This device does not permit the hammer to magnetically attract and retain several nails of different size, length and width for striking or hammering. In addition, this invention has a U-shaped striking bar, which may have to be replaced in the future. This problem is not present in the side-load nail holding hammer invention subject of this patent application. Moreover, this prior art invention does not magnetically attract the nails in the same manner as the side-load nail holding hammer does. The side-load nail holding hammer has numerous half cone shaped vertical slots in its face and back throat, for nails to be inserted therein. These nails are magnetically attracted to the small magnets placed on the sides of such slots. Therefore, these slots with the small magnets serve to magnetically attract the nails, thus acting as nail holders and nail starters.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,635 (Lamansky, 1985) discloses a nail-removing hammer. The side-load nail holding hammer has claw ends that also permit the removal of nails. In addition, the side-load nail holding hammer has claws that differ in shape from the hammer in the prior art for the side-load nail holding hammer has curved claws that dig deeper into the nail head.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,449 (Hu, 2001) discloses a hammer with a nail digging function. This hammer does not share the same shape of claw as the side-load nail holding hammer for the latter has curved shaped claws. In addition, due to the fact that both claws of the Hu invention are in line, one of the Hu hammer claws may obstruct the second while removing a nail, problem that is not encountered by the side-load nail holding hammer. Therefore, the side-load nail holding hammer protects surfaces from damage by any of its own claws.
Therefore, the present novel invention differs from those in the prior art because it permits numerous nails of different size, length or width to be placed in the half conical shaped slots in the hammer face and back throat, retained magnetically, and ready to be struck on a surface. In addition, it includes a hammerhead with a curved claw body, curved claws enabling removal of nails without damaging the nailed surface, and an indentation in the neck of the hammer.